Monochrome Garden
by Tenrabi
Summary: It all came crashing back: her memories of attending Hogwarts with her beloved sister… And of Dumbledore's manipulation of them all. With almost twenty year's worth of suppressed powers, she sets out to save the only thing that was true in her life: Harry. Powerful!Witch!Mentor!Petunia
1. Yesterday, Today, Tomorrow

It all came crashing back; her memories of attending Hogwarts with her beloved sister… And of Dumbledore's manipulation of them all. With almost twenty year's worth of suppressed powers, she sets out to save the only thing that was true in her life: Harry. Powerful!Witch!Mentor!Petunia

In this story, Petunia will have a slight sister-complex, though it's basically just her being overprotective with an overload of love and care towards Lily. Nothing incestuous though, I assure you all. This idea was inspired from several Severitus stories I've read, and I've decided to take up Petunia on that role instead of Severus Snape.

Also, spoilers for all books. I haven't read them in years though, so please tell me if you find any significant inconsistencies in this story, thank you.

* * *

Petunia could never fathom why, despite her undying hatred towards all things 'freakish', she could never see eye-to-eye with Vernon's true intentions on how to deal with Harry.

From the first day Harry Potter was found on her doorstep, she and Vernon wanted nothing to do with the child and were intent on leaving him outside until they're ready to take him into the car and leave him in an orphanage, regardless of what the letter said. Yet Petunia took him inside, and nursed him from the cold with Dudley (while explaining to Vernon that she's worried about what the neighbors would think, if they left him outside) and before they knew it they had raised Harry all these years.

Then, when Harry got his letter, Vernon wanted to beat the 'freakishness' out of him, and Petunia would've approved wholeheartedly and even encourage Dudley to do it as well. However, she ended up chiding Vernon that people would notice the marks on him if they beat him, and they will start gaining unwanted attention. Those were probably the most significant examples of her disapproval of Vernon's proposals on how to treat Harry, but Petunia started to think back on the little moments as well.

On Dudley's 11th birthday, where they took him and Piers to the zoo, why didn't they just leave Harry to play in the park alone with some lunch money like they usually let him do when they don't want him in the house? Or when Harry has a fever, Petunia should have just left the medicine in his cupboard with instructions, screw it if he follows them or not, yet she finds herself attending him until he's better, much to Dudley's envy.

She justifies most, if not all, of the reason behind her disapproval of Vernon's propositions with 'how the neighbors would think of them', and was accepted without question. When she saw Harry off to his 4th year in Hogwarts this year, something strange was bubbling inside her, a feeling she couldn't understand. It was neither a good or bad feeling, and it made her restless. It made her into the paranoid woman thinking about her behavior towards her nephew that she currently is.

Moreover since then, she started taking up a clerical job. Vernon opposed it, but later relented when she said it was for Dudley's college. She suddenly felt restless, felt like something was repressed all these years, and was only starting to leak through now. She no longer felt content with just being a housewife, and she started having dreams she couldn't remember but still made her uneasy.

Looking over at the table full of her take-home work, Petunia started to tidy it up for dinner; Vernon is coming home soon with Dudley, and she needs everything to be perfect for a lovely evening with her family.

* * *

**LITTLE HANGLETON GRAVEYARD**

Harry was horrified at his current situation. Cedric was dead, Peter Pettigrew is alive, and Voldemort has come back, having summoned his Death Eaters and expressing his fury at their incompetence in seeking and finding him. His mind was thinking too fast in panic when Voldemort turned his attention to him. Harry was released and strangely enough, Voldemort initiated a duel with him, forcing Harry to bow as tradition through a Cruciatus.

The duel commenced. Harry doing all he could to dodge Voldemort's attacks, when finally he confronted him and—

"Avada Kedavra!"

"Expelliarmus!"

The two spells collided, flash of green aggressing towards Harry from Voldemort's wand. Criss-crossing beams of golden light surrounded them, when those that fell by Voldemort's wand appeared, his latest five victims appearing ghostly but determined; and Harry saw his mother, father and Cedric.

"Cedric.."

"We can hold him off for sometime, Harry. When you're ready to let go, bring my body back to my father, ok? Bring me back home…"

"Mum…? Dad…?"

Lily and James had a serene smile at the sight of her son, and it grew into a determined look.

"Harry… You're so brave." His father started.

"But you can't do this alone. You need help, you need someone to truly guide you and protect you…" His mother continued. "Please forgive her. She was meant to love you as much as your father and I did."

"You are nearly there. So close. We are… So proud of you." His father added, beginning to disappear.

"Sweetheart, you're ready. Let go! Let go!"

At his mother's command, Harry did. A large, golden explosion erupted, knocking back all of the people in the graveyard, including Harry, who as soon as he could scrambled to find Cedric and the portkey.

* * *

**PRIVET DRIVE**

A golden light exploded in the kitchen where Petunia was cooking, startling her as the room glowed bright gold in effect.

"…Lily!"

She exclaimed, shocked at her sister's appearance. Behind the golden, transparent form of her late sister was her brother-in-law, alongside three other people she does not recognize.

Petunia trembled, scared and horrified at this _freakish_ occurrence. Did the neighbors notice? What will happen if Vernon and her Dudders were to walk in on this?

"Tuney. I'm so glad I get to see you again… Tuney, you were always there for me, protecting me, and I am so sorry for what was done to you. You were the reason I became such a competent student in Hogwarts, always guiding me to the right path." Petunia was confused. That does not sound like the relationship she had with Lily at all, and she was getting convinced that this was some kind of a nasty trick done by _those people._

"And I hope… That you could guide Harry this time as well, please. One thing that Dumbledore has always appraised me of to my son was my capacity to love, and how powerful of a magic that is. What he will never see coming, however, is how that love will be used to destroy the very curse he chained you with."

"I wish you and I could've been the best sister-brother in law we should have become then. So just so you know, I admired you, and I hold nothing against you. Just look out for my boy, eh?" James finished off. Petunia could sense a scream about to erupt from her shrill voice.

A light flashed again, and she truly did scream her lungs out.

* * *

**LITTLE HANGLETON GRAVEYARD**

Harry was clutching Cedric's body, hiding behind a rather large memorial statue, trying to stay out of Voldemort and the Death Eater's view. He couldn't reach the damn portkey without catching their attention, and Harry doesn't know how long he could keep this up. A tear ran down the side of his left cheek, as he thought about the appearance of his parents.

_You can't do this alone…_

_You need someone to truly guide you and protect you…_

He thought about their words. Truthfully, his sub-conscious wanted someone to take that role for him too. Though no one could replace his parents, he still longed for that someone whom he could always count on, look up to, feel safe with. He realizes that despite his maturity, he was still a child, a child who needs a steady parenting figure of his own; something Dumbledore could never be, something neither Sirius nor Lupin could offer given their situation and something he can't have with the Weasley parents either.

To his embarrassment, he couldn't stop the onslaught of tears that were pouring out now, and if he wasn't in such a dire situation, he realizes he would've been crying, bawling his heart out like when he was eight and uncle Vernon told him that his parents never wanted him, that they were about to throw him away before that car crash happened.

He's a Gryffindor, and he hated feeling like this. Feeling so helpless and alone, yet being depended on. He wanted power, to grow stronger and to be able to protect himself and those he loved, but right now what he wanted was Sirius. He wanted his Godfather here, right now, to come and save him—he was no savior, damn it! He's the one who needs saving!

Harry's prayer was half-answered.

An explosion erupted in the graveyard, the screams of the Death Eaters drawing Harry out to see what was going on.

"HARRY! HARRY! WHERE ARE YOU?"

A familiar voice called out. It couldn't be.

"Who are you!"

A Death Eater, judging from his voice was Lucius Malfoy, demanded. Voldemort collected himself while Pettigrew cowered behind a tombstone, when another explosion from the ground knocked them off again. A series of these ground explosions kept erupting, causing them all to take cover in confusion, while Harry, dragging Cedric's body, took advantage of this and searched for the portkey.

"There you are."

The familiar voice said, suddenly appearing before Harry. His mouth gaped as he took in his aunt Petunia's presence, looking like every bit the Dursley housewife that she is, and completely out of place in that graveyard where chaos was happening.

"A-aunt Petunia?"

"There they are, get them!" A Death Eater shouted. Panicking, Harry stood up and went in front of his aunt to protect her from the Death Eaters and Voldemort, all the while confused and rushing to think of his next move to get out of here with his aunt and Cedric.

An amused smile shadowed Petunia's lips, and she gently placed a hand on Harry's shoulder. With a strong wave of her hand, the ground explosions erupted again and blew the impending men away from her and Harry.

"We need to get out of here. Hold my hand, and I'll—"

"I can't leave Cedric!" Harry retorted before Petunia could finish. She looked at the dead body behind Harry and recognized him as one of the people in her kitchen with her sister, and frowned. Harry spoke up again.

"There is a trophy—it's a portkey to get out of here, a portkey is a—"

"That over there then? Stay put besides that boy, I'll get it." Petunia commanded, as she strode over to the trophy laying just nearby, only noticed now by Harry.

Suddenly, Goyle jumped out behind them with a curse pointed at Harry, and with quick reflexes, Petunia kicked the portkey towards Harry and Cedric, guiding the trophy with her magic to come in contact with the two boys, thus getting them out of the graveyard.

Petunia herself apparated away, leaving behind confused and bewildered Death Eaters with their infuriated master.

* * *

**PRIVET DRIVE**

Petunia appeared in the living room, and promptly let herself fall into the couch, sighing.

_It all happened in a brief moment, yet it felt like an eternity as Petunia screamed her lungs out in the flash of light. Memories crashed into her mind like an ocean in a storm, filling her mind with images, recordings and feelings long lost that relentlessly made her remember of everything._

_She remembered the days she spent with Lily as a child, how close and protective she was of her little sister, and how jealous she became of Severus Snape when they both met and became close._

_She remembered how she got her letter to Hogwarts and how proud her parents and Lily were of her, and how she looked at it in disdain when it details how it would take her away from Lily, giving that Severus boy an opportunity to steal her little sister away from her._

_Her first year in Hogwarts, sorted into Ravenclaw._

_The years that follow, her joy at finally being able to be together with Lily in Hogwarts._

_Her rivalry with Severus Snape and James Potter for Lily's attention._

_Everything…_

_Everything, especially how in her 6th year Dumbledore ambushed her and manipulated her memories and the memory of her, erasing her existence of ever attending Hogwarts. He filled her memories with lies, with fake hatred, making her believe all these years she detested the magical world. Making her believe she was rejected by the magic world. Making her believe she rejected Lily._

_And damn, he was good at creating the background story too, he created such logical reasons and an elaborate history as to why she hated magic and craved for normalcy. She can't help but wonder how long Dumbledore planned this for her._

_And she remembered Lily's death._

_She remembered Harry._

_Then she saw Harry, in that graveyard, and everything that was happening._

_After the flash was gone and her screaming done, she stood dazed in the middle of the kitchen, overwhelmed by new feelings, memories, perception and emotions._

_"Harry… HARRY!"_

_Without wasting another second to think, she apparated to where Harry was to save him._

"Fuck."

Petunia cursed. She hasn't cursed in over a decade, but right now she can't help it. The door clicked by the sound of keys unlocking it, and Vernon and Dudley entered the house beaming happily at the father-son time they just spent together.

"Darling! We have so much to tell you about today, is dinner ready yet? We ought to sit down and enjoy the story over your roast beef!" Vernon merrily called out with Dudley excited behind him, until they saw the tired, overwhelmed look on Petunia.

"Mum, what's wrong?"

Petunia looked at them, and smiled sadly. She muttered something and gave a wave of her hand, and the room froze, along with her husband and son.

"Vernon… As much as I am disgusted by your prejudice against Harry and the magical world, it was mostly because of my influence. You were just so eager to please me and see me happy that you went along with whatever I feel. When I hated the magical world, you hated it with me, letting me know that I'll always have you as an ally."

Her face was blank when she walked towards their frozen form.

"If I hadn't hated the magical world, you would have accepted it too. If I remained a witch when we met, I imagine our days would be something like that American show, _Bewitched_." She gave a light chuckle, but her expression was sad.

She walked over to Dudley, and placed her hand on his chest. His chest where Petunia has her hands on glowed a rich color, and when she slowly retracted it, an orb of rainbow light was in her hand.

"As I thought… Dumbledore locked your magic as well. My son, you would have loved Hogwarts you know, the opportunity was missed to you, and it's tragic. I love you, Dudders, and I don't want you to grieve over the confusion this will bring, so I'll take your magical core away from you. You don't need this knowledge, and I'd rather you find success as a blissful muggle, my baby."

She took a step backwards, and the room began to rise with magical energy.

"This whole life we shared was a charade. It was all a lie. I was a lie. But I have to admit this much; I did care about you both. The world, the reality, the _truth_ I need to get back to, however, is far more important. Lily. She was all that mattered to me, and now, in her place Harry is my priority. He's the only thing true in this illusion, and he needs me. I care enough about you both to not involve you with this."

She knew they weren't going remember anything she said, but she still felt obligated to tell them. The entire house changed. All the pictures on the wall after Dudley's first birthday were absent of Petunia; everything that ever proved Petunia was ever living there before Dudley turned two were gone.

"Farewell, Vernon, Dudley. May you both have a good life ahead you."

With that, Petunia walked out of the house and concentrated on the entire neighborhood, erasing her existence here, as Dumbledore did to her in Hogwarts.

She looked back at the place she used to call home, and with a blank expression walked away, apparating.

Inside, Vernon and Dudley went to the kitchen to cook dinner together, Vernon fondly telling Dudley the woman he loved who gave birth to his pride and joy, Dudley himself, before that unfortunate car crash that took her life. Tonight they were going to commemorate in her memory, before Dudley begins his first day in taking up boxing tomorrow.

In the future, Dudley would be a professional boxer, winning several championships with his father as his coach, manager and best friend.

* * *

**HOGWARTS**

Harry, appalled at Moody's transformation into Bartemius Crouch Jr and his revelation, backed up against the wall as the Death Eater pointed his wand at him, ready to kill Harry. An invisible burst suddenly blew Barty away from Harry, making him crash into the floor.

"Looks like I made it in time. Harry, you're safe now." Petunia smiled at a bewildered Harry before scooping him into her arms lovingly.

_You're safe now…_

It was the last thing Harry would ever thought his aunt would say to him, and yet the sincerity in her voice made him melt into her embrace. He awkwardly hugged her back, actually _feeling_ safe with his aunt here, especially after she saved him twice today.

The door burst open, revealing Dumbledore, Snape and McGonagall with their wands at the ready, to find Harry with his aunt, Bartemius Crouch Jr moaning in pain on the ground. Despite their initial surprise, Snape quickly went over to the man on the ground and administered the veritaserum, Dumbledore interrogating him under its affects, while McGonagall ran to Harry to make sure he was alright.

Petunia watched Snape and Dumbledore confront the Death Eater, cold fury in her gaze, directed at the headmaster.

* * *

Comments and critiques are highly appreciated. I'm also open to suggestions. Thank you.

_Next Chapter: Petunia recovers Snape's true memories of her, and confronts Dumbledore. _


	2. Regretful Asphodel

Thank you so much for your reviews, favorites and follows, it encouraged me greatly to continue—and I hope I don't disappoint you with this next chapter. It's still unrevised, so you might fight errors and typos here and there, but I wanted to upload this chapter quickly. I'll have it fixed by tomorrow, and I hope you still enjoy this chapter regardless.

* * *

**The Revelation of Magical Cores**  
By Petunia Evans

_Introduction._

_Magical cores in basic, is the source of a wizard/witch's magical powers. Humans who do not have these cores are unable to perform magic, also known as muggles in our magical society._

_My fascination in this subject first began with a simple question as I watch my little sister, Lily, play with her friend, Severus. We were children back then, when Lily displayed for the first time her abilities, where she gave me a surprise by dumping me with a confetti of floating petals. As we were playing, the boy next door approached Lily and revealed himself to be magical, and so was Lily._

_Back then I had not displayed the powers I possess now, so I assumed I was not the same with them, that I was not magical as well. Then I wondered… I asked to myself; why can some people do magic, while others can't?_

_My actual research began when I entered Hogwarts for the very first time as an anxious, nervous, first year muggleborn. I completely sucked at spells, abysmal on a broom and downright incompetent in potions that everyone, including myself, started to doubt whether or not the headmaster made a mistake in giving me a letter of admission._

_So I did the only thing I've been good at: rationalize. Upset at my lack of abilities I lost faith in myself, until my dear mentor, Dumbledore, approached me, crying alone in the girl's bathroom, and told me to believe in my magic, and in myself. He meant that to encourage me and keep faith to myself; to keep striving, but I took it literally, and started researching on how 'believing' could affect my magic._

_Hey, I was a kid who just found out fairies and dragons existed, while the older kids in my muggle elementary school told me they weren't real, ok?_

_Well, I thought over as to why my magic was like this, and one finding lead to another and I started to do research and experimentations, which I will share in this thesis. What I found has helped me greatly and with no exaggeration, I can say with certainty that my powers and its efficiency increased hundredfold from that incompetent little first year, to the witch that I am now._

_In essence, with the research and experiments I did, the results were astounding. I might be arrested and even thrown into Azkaban for the things I've done, which will be revealed in this thesis, to accomplish my research. To hell with that though, it will be worth it. After six years of research, I now present to you this thesis as the fruit of my labor._

_And to answer the question my nine-year-old self asked then: 'Because you need to believe in magic. If you don't believe in magic, then magic won't believe in you.'_

_This, my dear readers, is all very true, and I beseech you to believe in your magic, and in yourselves, if you wish to succeed. The reason why my magic was so against me then was because I refused to believe in it, and thus, my magic refused to believe in me, and we end up repelling each other._

_So I present to you the astounding revelation of magical cores, my gift to you, in your endeavor to understand the beauty of the blessing you are born with: magic._

Dumbledore sighed, as he finished reading the introduction to the thesis Petunia Evans gave to him so many years ago, before she could publish it.

Before he had to erase her existence.

_"Professor Dumbledore! I've done it! It's finished!" _

_A blond-haired, pale-eyed Ravenclaw exclaimed excitedly. She was hugging a thick book, notes and various scribbles and a quill sticking out of it, smiling triumphantly._

_"Here, this for you, EXCLUSIVELY for you." _

_She handed him a parchment, to which he took in fascination._

_"You were the one who told me to believe in myself and in my magic, when all I had was doubt, even from myself. Your words back then not only encouraged me, but it's also the reason why I succeeded. Not only in accomplishing this research, but also in everything else…" She beamed at him, adoration not held back._

_"So this is my thank you to you. It's only the intro and I'm pretty sure with my lack of experience as a writer it has a few questionable structures, but it's sincere. You're the only one in possession of the original introduction." She grinned._

_"Of course, as for the rest of it, you will have to wait until it's published like everyone else. Blimey, not even Lily has read a word—or even a single letter from this!" _

_Dumbledore smiled sincerely and held unto the parchment gratefully, eyes twinkling._

_"Thank you, Ms Evans… This is a true honor for me. You will become great, I know you will, and I'm glad you believed in yourself as I have."_

Dumbledore stared sadly at the parchment, thinking over the day's events when he encountered that brilliant student again. Brilliant, but dangerous student… That he had to erase if he were to prevent another seed of destruction from growing. He remembered how frustrated he was when he couldn't find the rest of her thesis after erasing her memories; he knew there were some valuable revelations in there that she boasted could change the entire Wizarding World's perception and society.

He berated himself in not trying to get it out of her before erasing her; After all, if no one, not even her sister was allowed to see it, then she must have kept it in extremely protective guards that, given her level of powers, could rival Gringotts.

He was somewhat reluctant at first to send Harry to live with Petunia, worried over what it could do to trigger her true memories. That thought was shaken off however, as he assured himself that his spell was irreversible: if he could make Petunia hate the sister she adored her whole life, then what was Harry to her?

Now she's back, with full knowledge of what he's done, and the truth exposed. With Harry on the line, he seriously needs to salvage this.

* * *

Harry glanced nervously at his aunt and Professor Snape. They have been sitting in the Potions Master's chambers with heavy tension for what seems like an eternity, Harry still trying to comprehend the day's events.

"_Professor Dumbledore. So good to see you again." Aunt Petunia greeted, a cold smile on her face. Harry saw Professor Dumbledore stiffen, as Snape kept his guard on Barty Crouch Jr, all the while watching at everything._

"_Petunia… Dursley. You—" _

_SLAP!_

"_Professor!" _

_Harry cried out, running over to help the headmaster as he stumbled from aunt Petunia's slap. He glanced at his aunt with hostility, until he saw her face, grief-stricken and tearful._

"_IT WAS ALL YOUR FAULT!" She screamed; emotions suppressed for almost twenty years bursting out._

"_I COULD'VE PROTECTED LILY! I WOULD'VE FOUGHT FOR HER, FOR JAMES, FOR YOU! WHY? WHAT DID I EVER DO TO—" She choked on a sob, giving Dumbledore a chance to speak._

"_Petunia… Your powers were growing too rapidly, along with your mindset that was far too reminiscent of… Grindelwald, and Voldemort. You were getting too immersed in your magic and views, that I fear would one day cause disa—" _

"_Stop. Right there, STOP." Harry saw his aunt shift, and gave a dark chuckle, which in turn gave him (and the rest of the occupants, including Barty) chills down their spine._

"_Surely, with ALL of your wisdom and long experience, you saw that I had what neither Grindelwald nor Voldemort had, to prevent me from straying down the path of destruction?"_

"_Your fascination in the dark arts, your influence amongst some students, your views— for goodness sake, Mrs. Dursley, you broke into Azkaban and spoke to Grindelwald. I did that to you to prevent you from becoming what I fear most you will become. Please understand; it was—"_

"_For the greater good?" Petunia interrupted again. "Dumbledore… You really did not realize what I had to prevent me from becoming what you fear most? I had Lily. I had my parents. I had love, something neither dark lords had. Instead what they had is hatred as powerful as Lily's love for Harry." _

"_Mrs. Dursley, now is hardly the right moment, let's continue this at a later time." Dumbledore tried, anxious about their audience. She ignored him._

"_And guess what? It was exactly Lily's love that broke this curse you've placed on me. Tell me, Dumbledore, what did you think, what did you feel, when you sent Harry to live with me and the Dursleys, when you fully know the extent of the hatred you made me feel towards anything magic? The extent Vernon hated magic because of me?"_

_Silence. Petunia continued._

"_How did you feel… When you realized that you could have made a difference, could have saved more lives, Lily and James' lives—and Harry's life, if you didn't get rid of me? You were the only one who knew the extent of my powers aside from Lily and Severus, you KNEW given some years, I could've let you retire and take over this battle against Voldemort and actually defeat him!" She was not being arrogant or overconfident, she was stating a fact; Harry understands this, and is unsettled by it. Barty suddenly yelled._

"_YOU BITCH! HOW DARE YOU SPEAK OF SUCH THINGS, THE DARK LORD IS ALMIG—"_

"_Silence, worm." Petunia flashed her palm in Barty's direction and his mouth shut. The display convinced Harry further that his Aunt was not overestimating herself._

"_Aunt Petunia…?" Harry called out meekly, full of uncertainty. His aunt turned her attention towards him, regret all over her face._

"_I'm sorry Harry, for the way you've been treated these past years of your life. I was supposed to love you and cherish you as your parents did, and I failed." She turned back towards Dumbledore, tired and relenting._

"_You robbed me of everything, Dumbledore. You robbed me of my magic, life, loved ones… YOU ROBBED ME OF MY LOVE AND SINCERITY." She took a deep breath._

"_You… Robbed me of the very thing that stopped me from 'straying down the path of destruction', Dumbledore."_

_Dumbledore took a careful step towards her._

"_No. You were too much of a risk. Mrs. Dursley… Petunia, please…" He tries, but Petunia shook her head._

"_The only way I can forgive you is if you somehow gave me back the years you stole from me. And if you had just allowed me to publish that thesis I worked on, you would have realized how far I am from becoming what you thought I'd become."_

"_What in the world is going here!" Snape snapped, unable to remain silent anymore. Petunia regarded him neutrally._

"_I'm giving you back your memories, Severus. That's what's going on. But later, in your chambers, for now we've got company." True enough, Fudge appeared, a dementor trailing behind him._

Things didn't go too smoothly after that. Fudge, in his disbelief and reluctance in Barty and Harry's testimony that Voldemort was back, ordered the dementor to suck out Barty's soul, eliminating him as a primary perpetrator to Voldemort's revival. He discredited Harry's claim and justified his actions by saying that Barty was a delusional lunatic who didn't understand what he was saying.

At the time, Petunia just watched with neutral regard. To her, Barty tried to kill Harry, and having his soul sucked out from him satisfied her. Though she was anything but happy at Fudge's behavior towards her nephew. Sick of Fudge's ramblings and realizing Harry was getting overwhelmed, Petunia took his hand and squeezed gently in support.

What perplexed Harry was she also quietly grabbed Snape's wrist, and with that, the three disappeared from the scene, only to arrive in the Potions Master's chambers. She took a seat that was near her, while Snape looked at her with suspicion, disdain, and slight curiosity, which she returned with a blank gaze.

The room fell with silence, a strange tension making Harry uncomfortable just by standing there, but it was better than being back there with Fudge and his dementor.

"Mrs… Dursley now, right? Explain." Snape said, finally breaking the silence.

"Severus, I'm not a Dursley. Call me Petunia. Hell, I don't even mind you call me that nickname you gave me when we went to Hogwarts—Putridna?" She gave a chuckle, which was responded by a slam on the table; he was losing his patience.

"ENOUGH! What are you talking about? You're a muggle, there's no way you could have entered Hogwarts—and I never remembered giving you that nickname, even when Lily and I were still friends—!"

"You were friends with my mother, Professor?" Harry asked, so bewildered that all discomfort at interrupting the intimidating professor gone. Sure enough, Snape shut his mouth, cursing under his breath, and Harry had a feeling that he was probably cursing about him too.

"…'were friends', Severus? This whole time I thought you and Lily were still friends, even if she married that James Potter. Hell, I even horrified myself with the thought you two would get married considering how close you were." Snape staggered, his face contorted in sadness, as he took a chair and sat down to collect himself.

Harry was more confused and alarmed now. He really wanted answers, and all of this only gave him more questions.

Petunia noticed this, and guiltily realized she just fueled the chaos in Harry's mind just by being near him. He was exhausted, wounded, traumatized and confused—he wanted straight answers, to vent out… But what he needed now, was rest. Petunia cupped Harry's face with both hands, and leveled her eyes with his, her gaze gentle.

"Harry dear, I will answer every question you have of me, and I promise I will not keep any thing back. But for now, you have to… Sleep."

Harry couldn't even think of retorting her, before his mind went dark and he collapsed into his aunt's arms. With a loving motherly gesture, she stroked Harry's forehead where his scar briefly glowed blue, and with an elegant motion of her hands and fingers, a circle of dim glittering silver lights appeared. Inside the circle, like a door, showed another room: a bedroom, where she levitated Harry towards it and settled him comfortably on the bed inside the circle.

Done, the silver circle disappeared, and with it, the room with Harry in it.

"Who… Are you?" Snape asked, his voice tired, but still edged with caution… And awe.

"Trust me, I have as much questions for you in my head as you do, but if we're going to get anywhere, I'll have to start by giving you back your memories."

"What memories are you talking about?"

"Of me, of course. Casting the actual memory spell Dumbledore did is still manageable, as I've cast it myself, but it's reversing it that's going to be tricky—Almost as impossible as undoing the effects of a Cruciatus." She strode over towards him.

"But Lily and James did something to me, and I'm going to try to recreate the effects that managed to undo this spell that was upon me. To you, of course."

Snape looked at her suspiciously.

"And what… Are the repercussions, should something go wrong on your little _experiment_? Moreover, what makes you think I will go along with this?"

"First, nothing will go wrong, if it fails all that will happen is that you won't get the memory I'm trying reveal to you. Second, because I said so."

Without warning, Petunia grabbed at Snape's head, sprawling her fingers and initiated the memory spell's reversal. Snape screamed, grabbing at her wrists, but there was no power in his grip. A strange force that thrashed inside his mind slammed his head.

Petunia felt his magic, felt his mind, and felt the unwanted magic enveloping his mind. She used her memory from what happened in the kitchen, which was still fresh in her thoughts. She recreated on Snape how her magic shifted and contorted as her true memories surfaces, where after an onslaught of force crashing into the spell enveloping the mind, it finally cracked and fell apart like an eggshell.

It was working.

_He walked towards the park, escaping the unbearable situation in his home, when he spotted two girls his age playing by the swings. He felt drawn, there was magic that called out to him from one of the girls—which he noticed immediately came from the pretty girl with red hair._

_He got closer and hid shyly behind a tree, peeking a look at them playing, when the red-haired girl, sneaking up behind the girl with blond hair with an arm full of wildflowers, threw the flowers on the blond's head._

"_Lily!"_

_The blond one shrieked indignantly, brushing off the flowers and petals on her, as the red-haired one giggled and revealed herself before her friend. Suddenly, the fallen (and still falling) flowers and petals floated in the air, clearing the mess on the blond one as well._

"_So pretty…"_

_The red-haired one—Lily, said, awed at the way the flowers and petals floated around, as if dancing in a gentle wind. Severus revealed himself, where they both took notice of him immediately and as soon as Lily's gaze met his, the flowers and petals stopped floating, falling away from the air like floral snow._

_The sight of Lily, with her wide, innocent, green eyes and jewel-red hair standing in the midst of the snowing flowers was beautiful._

"_Who are you? Where'd you come from?"_

_An unpleasant voice broke his daze, and he looked to the blonde haired girl, who was looking at him with dislike._

"_I'm Severus. Severus Snape. But just call me Severus…" She gave a demeaning humph, her dislike towards him growing more evident. The feeling was mutual._

"_Hello, Severus! I'm Lily, and this is my sister, Petunia! Would you like to play with us?"_

"_Lily, it's already late, we have to go back home already. And I'm tired. And hungry." Severus' joy at Lily's invitation to play was shot down immediately by her sister's whining. Even more so, since Lily relented to her sister's wants._

"_Oh, I guess… Wait! You said your name was 'Snape'? Aren't you our neighbor? We're the Evans—Living next to you! Why don't we just walk home together?" Lily suggested cheerfully. Severus wasted no time and agreed immediately before Petunia could come up with something to prevent this._

_The walk home was the happiest feeling he's ever felt as he chatted and laughed with Lily, even with a sulking Petunia trailing along. They even made a promise to play together next time!_

_Sure enough, the three played together the next day, where in a game of hide and seek, Petunia was it. Severus and Lily hid together and found a spot by a shallow creek, where Severus revealed to her that she was magical and so was he. _

_Fascinated, Lily started asking him lots of questions about magic, and they were both off to their own little world, Severus demonstrating small tricks he could do, and Lily displaying the same magic with flowers she did on Petunia._

_After what seemed like a long, blissful moment, they had forgotten all about hide and seek, until Petunia found them, huffing tiredly at having to look for them. Lily showed Petunia what magic they could do, which the pale-eyed blond girl tried to imitate, but to no avail. Her face looked heartbroken, and noticing her sister's distress, Lily comforted her._

"_Don't worry, Tuney. I was only able to do this very recently, I'm sure you can do magic soon too!" _

"_I don't think she can, Lily. Only you and I are magical, she's just a muggle." Severus countered, which Petunia replied with a glare._

"_Oh yeah? Well—well—who cares about magic anyway! It's stupid, I don't need it to have fun. I've got Lily as my sister to play with me after all!" She hugged Lily's right arm possessively._

"_It's not stupid! Lily and I are magical, so magical folks should stick together, and they have way more fun together!" Severus retorted, hugging Lily's left arm just as possessively. Lily, perplexed and being sandwiched by the two, stumbled a few times as they ended up playing tug o' war with her as the rope, confused as to how to confront being fought over by Petunia and Severus, whose arguments are getting more ridiculous._

"_Both of you enough! You're making me dizzy. I'm going to play with both of you all the time anyways, so can't I just like you both the same?" Lily reasoned diplomatically, which to her bewilderment;_

"_NO!" They both said simultaneously._

"_You should like me better!"_

"_No, Lily! You should like me better!" _

_Lily gave her first of many sighs in the years to come at their behavior. _

_Since then, their childhood consisted of Severus and Petunia fighting over Lily, which Lily learned to just leave them at it for a few moments; because in the end, they always ended up reaching a compromise that Lily approved. _

_Severus would intercept Petunia and Lily at the park no matter how random Petunia chose the time to arrive there, much to Petunia's resentment—she wanted to play with Lily on the swings, just the two of them._

_Petunia would sit down with them whenever Severus came by to do homework or projects together with Lily, since she was older and smarter and thus felt obligated to guide her sister, much to Severus' annoyance—they don't need her help, she should just go and do her own grade's homework._

_Petunia would always taunt Severus on his clothes and appearance._

_Severus would always make fun of her long neck and how she looked like a horse when pouting._

_Lily never thought to choose one over the other since they're both very precious to her. And despite their constant hostility towards each other, she can't help but be amused at how they were becoming more like bickering siblings._

_And then, the day came when Petunia got her Hogwarts acceptance letter._

_Severus was horrified, because it would mean Petunia was magical as well, and he can no longer use his privilege as a fellow magical person to appeal to Lily. That, and he would have to go to Hogwarts with Petunia when it should have been the experience shared only by him and Lily!_

_On the upside, since she was older and going to Hogwarts before him and Lily, it means he will have a year here with Petunia out of the way from him playing and studying with Lily. _

_Severus consoled himself on that thought._

_Now, all he has to do is stay out of his parents' line of fire._

"Almost over, Sev. I'm glad you're sitting down."

As she said that, she could feel the last remnants of the memory spell coating his mind shatter away completely, where Snape stopped screaming and his hands fell limp on his sides. He was breathing heavily.

"I… Remember." He said, exhausted, now even more tired after the spell break. He stood up wobbling slightly, and Petunia made no effort to help him. After being sure he was stable, he walked over to the table and poured himself half of a glass of firewhiskey and chugged it down.

"So. What's your first question, Sev?" Petunia watched him let out a deep breath, where he looked at her with an unreadable expression.

"What about everyone else that took a hit from this spell? Are you going to recover their memories as well?" He settled down the glass. "The reversal you did worked on me, sure, but keep in mind that if not a single student or staff on your years in Hogwarts remembers you, then we can safely conclude that Dumbledore locked the memory of your existence from everyone that ever encountered you. Are you going to unlock EVERYONE's memories?"

"No. Just the people I consider matter. The reversal, despite how it looks with me just holding on someone's head, is very hectic and draining. I can probably only unlock one or two people a day." She crossed her arms, looking thoughtful.

"The casting of this memory-manipulating spell is easier than doing the reversal. Once the spell is cast, everyone—and I mean EVERYONE, even those that just saw you at the street, would never remember you."

"Remember? Wait, even if I didn't remember you attending Hogwarts, I still remember you and all of your patronizing glory. It's just that my memory of you was altered." Snape was refilling another glass. Petunia gave a mock of a smirk.

"That's just how brilliant Dumbledore is. He tweaked the spell into having a few adjustments." She gave a thought on the things the spell adjusted of her.

"One: Have me reject magic, so that my behavioral pattern would be consistent to someone who avoids all things magical, or in my case, 'unnatural' and 'freakish' like a plague. And two: I never had a magical ability, so all events that sprang from that fact, including my Hogwarts acceptance letter and the fact I went to Hogwarts, is changed."

"Just by those two adjustments, he has changed someone's personality and history completely upside-down." Snape commented, his eyes wide. Petunia poured herself a full glass of firewhiskey, which he did not object.

"Yes, indeed. 'I never had magic' means that I never went to Hogwarts. Never going to Hogwarts means that I never met anyone in Hogwarts. Likewise, by 'rejecting magic', I rejected you and Lily, who were magical, and then… I rejected Harry." She took a swig at her glass, finishing the firewhiskey in three huge gulps. Snape regarded her curiously.

"How did you treat the boy?"

"Practically the same way your father treated you." Snape paled.

"But thankfully, I didn't go as far as your father did with the physical abuse. Even if it's because of the spell's effects, I'd still kill myself if I had done so."

A few moment of silence fell on the room again.

"Let's continue this some other time, we're both quite depleted. And I still have to tend to Harry." Petunia proposed, settling down the empty glass back on the table.

"Before you go, I'd like you hear out my request." Snape stopped her, earning a questioning look from Petunia.

"Recover Sirius Black's memory next. You made him cry on our fifth year."

Petunia gave an exasperated chuckle.

* * *

_Next Chapter: Harry lets out his rage and frustration. Snape and Petunia discovers surprising and painful revelations in their next Q&A session._

Again, reviews, critiques and suggestions are warmly welcomed. Thank you.

I might upload a cover picture, if I feel satisfied with its result.


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